We're celebrating Stampin' Up!'s 25th anniversary all year long, but during the week of the actual date (October 25th to be exact) we thought we should pump up the party even more. So what better way than a sale on the very products that started it all: stamps, of course!

It’s a snap to transform a white craft pumpkin into a spellbinding teacher gift. Wrap it with our Witches’ Brew Designer Washi Tape—then deliver it with a drearily delicious goodie. Easy as A,B, C!

Know a teacher who loves a good laugh . . . er . . . cackle? Give her a reversible The Witch Is In/The Witch Is Out sign for her desk. I bought a 99 cent frame from IKEA, spray-painted it gold, and created the signs in MDS. The components are listed here.

Love that creepy bag of gruesome gumdrops? It was made using Witches’ Brew Designer Series Paper, Sweater Weather Designer Series Paper, and a folded Tea Lace Paper Doily. The witch silhouette was created in MDS using theSophisticated Spooks Punch. And the gumdrops are enclosed in a Medium Cellophane Bag. Wondering about the chalkboard tag? It was cut from this very handy sheet of Witches’ Brew Designer Series Paper.

Think of all of the teacher gifts you could make with this sheet of paper alone! For more ideas, see the Robyn’s fun and fancy Halloween table on display in the Concept Art Team’s most recent blog post.

I couldn’t resist making a witch hat display with the “Witches Candy Shoppe” image (above) and Tag a Bag Gift Bags. And then I thought: what a fun class activity this could be! Ask the students to bring a bag of candy from home, then set up a Witches Candy Shoppe! Kids must pay for the candies with witchy paper money—in the correct denominations, of course.

Have you ever had one of those moments … when right in the middle of stamping, the ink pad separates and you get ink all over your hand. I hate it when that happens!! It always happens at the most inopportune times. Well … while surfing online, I found a video on a quick way to fix them that I'd like to share with you today. But FIRST … might I suggest … wash your hands.

Stampin' Up! just restocked the Clearance Rack with lots of new RETIRED ITEMS (even new items posted since this morning). Don't miss out on these awesome deals on many retired punches, dies, scrapbooking/photo albums, desinger series paper, card stock (some colors in the assortments are even still current), stamps, ink pads, embellishments and more!!

Stampin' Up! is premiering it's BRAND NEW Envelope Punch Board. This product enables you to create envelopes of any size and you can coordinate your envelopes with your cards — from itty bitty to long skinny envelopes. And … you can also create liners by making an envelope a size smaller.

Some features of the ENVELOPE PUNCH BOARD includes:

It creates totally customizable envelopes in up to 66 different sizes (not to mention a million different color and pattern options depending on the paper you want to use). Even tried and tru envelope sizes will only take you moments to create.

It's super easy to use!

It's small and lightweight, which makes it super portable and easy to store. You can take it anywhere — even to a soccer match, the park, or to a friend's house for craft-night ANYWHERE!!

It even has a slick scoring tool as well as a punch that lets you create rounded corners on your envelopes.

It's easy to keep it all together; the stylus storage compartment and two punches are designed into the tool so you don't have a bunch of little pieces to keep track of (the instructions are even printed right on the tool so you won't lose them!).

The price is terrific … especially for a tool that does SO much! It's only $19.95.

NOTE: They were available on September 1, 2013 and … at my first class after that — everYbody bought one!! It's the best thing since "sliced bread"!!!

I wanted to share with you two pop-up cards that I have made using the same technique. Any time I have received a pop-up card in the mail, especially as a child, I was always excited … so I was glad when I learned to to make my own. I actually CASEd the balloon card (that means I copied it) from Dawn Olchefske. She is one of my favorite resources for different techniques used in making greeting cards. (All supplies have been purchased from Stampin' Up! and are available in my store.)

This card (left) was made using the Topsy Turvy stamp set (retired). The inside featuring the pop-up is pictured below. The top box didn't pop up here but … it was supposed to. =) You can't see it very well, but there is a small bow on top of the top box. You can change the ribbon if you like to a wider ribbon. I kept it small to keep the card from being too bulky.

Making the inside of this card can be somewhat of a challenge once you learn, it is really quite simple. I have included Dawn's video tutorial on the steps to do this (tips to make it easier are also included on the video).

PERFECT FOR THE BUSY STAMPER! Learn innovative ways to get the most out of your Stampin' Up! supplies (from stamps to the Big Shot) with clever tips and all the techniques you need to start creating with success. Divided into six sections focused on a variety of topics, Stampin' Up! on-line classes include videos, pdfs, and supply lists for 30+ projects.

A BIG THUMBS UP–WAY UP! I just purchased "The Basics" class and am knocked out by the details, tips and new ideas. Wonderful for seasoned as well as new stampers. I just watched a video that's part of the class on the Stamp-a-ma-jig and learned how to easily line up stamped letters once and for all–woo hoo!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER 'THE BASICS" CLASS $14.95THESE ARE DOWNLOADABLE ZIP FILES. YOU DO NOT NEED MY DIGITAL STUDIO TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CLASS! After purchasing and downloading the class, open "Stampin' Class–The Basics" folder and there will be 6 individual "sessions" folders inside. Click on each and enjoy!

PC InstructionsThe files will be downloaded as archive files that you can then extract and save on your computer. When you click on the download link, an extraction program will automatically launch. Choose the location where you would like to save the files (be sure to note where you save them). Follow the prompts on the extraction program, then navigate to the location where you saved the files. Click on the file and open.

Mac Instructions
When you click on the download link, the file will be mounted as a drive. Once it is mounted, open the drive and drag and drop the files to the location of your choice on your hard drive. The files can then be opened.

I hope you all had a GREAT weekend. I did though … it's been quite rainy in SUNNY Savannah!! And what can you do on a rainy day … STAMP!!!

Today and every Tuesday, I will be featuring a new technique that we can use in stamping. Some awesome resources for that are paper-crafting magazines. While I enjoy all types of paper projects, I'm especially partial to cardmaking. So much so that I subscribe to CardMaker Magazine. The current issue features an article on Using Peel-Off Stickers on our cards. I thought this would be really neat with the Soda Box Tops, available in Stampin' Up!'s Spring Catalog. In fact, this picture features them (I think).

IT'S HERE!!! Sale-a-Bration 2013 has begun!! How will you party during Stampin' Up!'s premiere event? There are three ways for you to choose:

SHOP:

SHOPAHOLICS UNITE!! For every $50 you spend, you'll get you'll get a FREE Sale-a-Bration product … and there are 20 to choose from! Simply click the "online order" button (to your right).

HOST:

Have your friends over for a party and earn FABULOUS Sale-a-Bration freebies with a qualifying order. You provide the friends and maybe some snacks, I'll provide the everything else — including CHOCOLATE!! Here's how it works …

For a party generating $150 in sales, you'll receive a FREE pack of Silver Glimmer Paper — (silver for Stampin' Up!'s silver anniversary) – and that's in addition to the normal hostess benefits ($25 of FREE products of your choice). This includes our Hostess Exclusive stamp sets, digital software, etc.

PARTY ALL THE TIME when you become a Stampin' Up!Demonstrator! Plus when you join during Sale-a-Bration, you'll receive 25% more products FREE in your Starter Kit (your choice)! Click the "Join My Team" tab above to take advantage of this limited time offer. I'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU ON MY TEAM!!

SALE-A-BRATION IS ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING TIMES OF THE YEAR AT STAMPIN' UP! HOW WILL YOU CHOOSE TO CELEBRATE WITH US?

I don't know about you but … it seems like every time we go to the store they are advertising for a "holiday" that's way far away. Yesterday, we went to Cracker Barrell and they already had Easter stuff out. Time flies … doesn't it?!!

Well … because of that, I started thinking about Valentine's Day. Can you believe it?! It's less than a month away. So … I was thinking about Valentine's cards. One of the hardest things for me is the centiment that goes on the inside of the card. In fact, sometimes I just avoid it altogether. Anyway, I thought I'd try to get ahead and start thinking of things/sayings to go on the inside of my Valentines. Really … isn;t that perhaps the most important part of the card — the part where you share your heart (Valentines) that makes it a true treasure for the person you are sending it to? Coupled with all the time you spent on the front, makes handmade cards a priceless work of art!

So … my posts for the rest of the month will address the insides of our cards.

I can think of no better to place to start than the Bible. When I make Valentine's cards for the children in my Sunday School class, often I start with John 3:16. Here's a picture of the inside of one of my Valentine's Cards — my message to the kids is that "they are a Princess/Prince because their DAD is the KING OF KINGS!" The inside (pictured here) contains John 3:16.

With that said … today's Valentine's Verses are …

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude , it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

I'll be posting more Valentines quotes over the next couple of weeks. I have to be funny and cute — my husband has to have funny so … that's next.

Check out this video — It introduces you to MY DIGITAL STUDIO (MDS) 2, Stampin' Up!'s brand new digital designing product line. It is awesome. After watching the video, visit my Stampin' Up! website for more information.

I had my very first class at Goodwill Industries of the Coastal Empire, Inc., with participants in our ADVANCE program. This program assists people who have experience a traumatic brain injury — they train them to perform activities of daily living and … ultimately, our goal is to assist them in finding employment. They did an awesome job. This is a card that one of the participants made. I was so proud of all of them.